Tonight I am back in Bedford with pals celebrating the election of Dave Hodgson as Mayor of Bedford - a momentus occasion by all accounts - but one that has apparently completely passed the BBC by. I was a little miffed by this, Cameron, riding high in the polls, on the cusp of a landslide victory in May, snubbed by the electorate of not one but THREE constituencies in traditionally Tory Bedfordshire - er..........story? I couldn't understand why this did not make national news and fall under the normally forensic analysis of the BBC's excellent political team - in particular ...
In a by-election in Noth Norfolk yesterday the Tories hled the seat of The Runtons on North Norfolk Council. According to the Tory PPC in North Norfolk it is a "triumph for the Conservatives and a blow to the Lib Dems". Of course any victory is a victory and cannot be denied, but the comments from the Tory in North Norfolk is somewhat overblown. For starters, the Runton's ward is the sort of ward the Tories should be winning easily, especially given their current poll ratings. The Lib Dems did hold the seat until 2007, but this was because the ...
I'm on holiday at the moment and have just dipped briefly into the blogs and Twitter again before heading out for the evening but I have been disgusted by Jan Moir's horrible, hate filled smear against Stephen Gately of Boyzone (I'm not linking to it) full of innuendo about his death which she has tried to relate to the fact he was homosexual. However at the same time, I have been heartened to see the number of people on Twitter and across the blogosphere, literally from all corners, Tory, Labour, Lib Dem and others all expressing their disgust at Moir's ...
Yet another complaint is winging its way to the BBC. It's clear in my mind that they have a narrative `the Conservatives are winging their way into Downing Street` and nothing's going to stop that. So, we have the Lib Dems WINNING in a `middle england` town in the near-south of England against the Tory tide ...
EAGA had arranged a seminar this morning following all the complaints about the way the WARMFRONT scheme had been working. Julia and I had had lots of problems as people had so many difficulties with this, and sadly people were left very cold over the winter because of it. The good news, up we go, was that there is now a higher amount for each huoehold so there should not be the need for a top...
After a great win by the Lib Dems in the Bedford Mayoral Election, we unsurprisingly received little coverage on major political platforms – such as PoliticsHome. This again adds to the obvious problem with reporting in the British media, as it is fundamentally bias. However, I instead want to focus on the Conservative reaction to ...
Upon finishing my shift at work tonight I had a pint or two of Goose Eye Over and Stout. When we got home I was a little peckish, but I found half a bag of Hint of Lime Doritos in the cupboard, so I thought I know! I'll make salsa and have Nachos! 1 small onion, diced, and sweated in a knob of butter. 3 cloves of garlic. 4 medium sized tomatoes. 1 tiny, weeny, home-grown habanero chili I grated some cheese over the Doritos, microwaved them for one minute, and poured the salsa over the top. Then I ate ...
Yet again I had cause to be glad to be part of such a supportive group this week. I don't know what the lurgi was that struck me down but spending 2 days in bed while others stepped into the breach at an hour's notice makes me really appreciate the team.This morning I was fit to go to Newcastle to the regional Fairtrade forum which was inspiring, despite arriving a little late. You'd think I'd
From the Daily Telegraph site this evening: A suppressed report which details how an oil company dumped toxic waste in Africa that may cause serious burns and even death has been released following a parliamentary row over freedom of speech. The study commissioned just weeks after the incident in West Africa concluded that the dumping would have been illegal under European pollution laws and suggests that the "likely cause" of the illness reported by locals was the "significant release" of potentially lethal gas. The report had been kept secret after Trafigura, one of the world's largest independent oil trading firms, ...
About the only occasion that I have heard of David Wilshire is as the Tory who introduced section 28. Now we in Southport know about Tories like that-we have a councillor in Ainsdale who put out leaflets campaigning again the repeal of section 28. This was a nasty bit of legislation as this posting makes clear. At least some Tories had the decency to apologise. Maybe there are those who don't want their supporters to know that they have changed their mind?
Justine McGuinness, Lib Dem candidate in West Dorset at the last election and latterly PR adviser to the parents of Madeleine McCann, has won damages from Mirror Group Newspapers. The case involved allegations made in a front-page article in The People claiming she had overcharged expenses to the "Find Madeleine Fund" and been forced to resign. More at legalweek.com.
Today was the count for the biggest election since Norwich North and before Glasgow North East, the Mayoralty of Bedford. Nothing on Iain Dale's blog nor Guido Fawkes which I was a wee bit surprised about, although Iain is a little busy in Bracknell, even missing PMQs this week, but even so......this was a major victory for the Liberal Democrats in an area where there is a Labour MP. It really is time for the Liberal Democrats to replace the Labour Party. I have known Dave for many years, in fact he was on of the three people in the ...
I am currently working on the Northern Democrat, the email newsletter which is emailed to members in the North East but which also finds its way to members in Yorkshire and Cumbria. 7 pages now written and I will do the front page tomorrow evening after the regional conference in Gateshead.I remember years (okay decades) ago when I first started editing publications - amongst my first lessons was
The headline of the Daily Express today screams out that two young pregnant women have died of Swine Flu. Anyone who sees it, especially if they're pregnant, is bound to be worried by it. I live in a house with 3 risk groups in it out of 3 people - an asthmatic (albeit one who's over 55 so he has less chance of catching it), a child and a person whose immune system can be best described as the word that rhymes with Carter Rucked. We certainly have reason to be concerned. When I spoke to my doctor about it ...
The first House Points of the new parliamentary season. My copy of Liberal Democrat News has not arrived yet, but I believe the editor dropped an "alleged" in here somewhere. "Wilkes and Liberty" It has been a quiet week at Westminster. MPs arrived back to find the rooftops occupied by activists protesting about global warming. The demonstrators didn't stay up there long - these October evenings can get very chilly. Then MPs had to wait for a letter from Lord Legg telling them if they were going to be asked to repay some of their expenses. And then it emerged ...
Lo! What news from Bedford? The Liberal Democrat candidate has been declared the newly elected mayor of Bedford after beating the rival Conservative candidate in the run-off. Intriguing. That will doubtless put a spring in the step of the staff at Cowley Street for the next week at least! Yes, it is a by-election. And by-elections don't always ...
[IMG: Pavement in Mount Pleasant Crescent] The Council have agreed to ask a property developer to pay for repairs on a pavement that was left in a terrible state after new homes were built. The wrecked pavement is on Mount Pleasant Crescent near the junction with Stroud Green Road and Crouch Hill (by the Larrik pub). The houses were built a few years ago – but a local resident contacted me to complain that the Council apparently hadn't made the builders clear up after themselves. As the picture shows, the pavement is virtually non-existent and urgently needed rebuilding. I contacted ...
Dear Glyn, A couple of hours ago Bedford elected a new Mayor - Liberal Democrat Dave Hodgson. This is a sensational victory for Dave Hodgson and I congratulate him and the Bedford Liberal Democrats for an outstanding campaign. You might not have seen much about this election in the media - but this by-election matters. The Mayor of Bedford represents more people than an MP does, and Dave will be making important decisions that affect peoples' lives. This result shows how misplaced the Conservatives' complacency about the next election really is. The Liberal Democrats have never taken a single vote ...
Here's a new blog that has appeared locally that I've added to the list of local sites I follow. link on the left hand panel: http://westhampsteadlife.blogspot.com Enjoy and read away... Ed
Fri 16th
19:10
Members of the public who believe Lib Dem MPs behaved worst over expenses? ZERO PER CENT
PoliticsHome (yes, I'm still reading it, despite everything) published an interesting poll today, taking the temperature of public opinion on MPs' expenses, post-Legg: ... [the poll] suggests that more than half the population believes the recommendations were 'not tough enough', 57% have 'no sympathy whatsoever' and 60% are as interested in the story as they ever were. The LIberal Democrat MPs are perceived to have behaved the best. The survey is split down into categories of voter identification – Lib Dem, Labour, Tory, none – and generally there is little marked difference in the attitudes of party supporters: >> Lib ...
Last night I paid my first visit to the relocated Birmingham 02 Academy and thoroughly enjoyed the gig and the venue. The old Dome makes a wonderful new home. The main room is very similar to the old Academy venue with a large floor and upstairs balcony, but there are improvements including numerous bars placed around the room, rather than in one area. As for Bloc Party - a huge improvement over the last time I saw them. Whether it was the music or the venue I don't know, but they created one heck of an atmosphere, one you'd expect ...
Congratulations to the thousands of people who completed last weekend's Birmingham Half Marathon. Several of my good friends managed to complete the 13-mile course from the city centre out to Bournville and back. I went along to cheer them on and also check out the IAAF World Championships, which took place beforehand. There was a great atmosphere as the winner of the men's race, Eritrea's Zersenay Tadese received his medal. Special congratulations to Liberal Democrat Councillors Karen Hamilton and Ray Hassall who both completed the distance - especially to Karen who only decided to take part a few days before ...
What could be simpler: five categories, each with five links. And it's Friday. 5 most-read stories on LDV this week 1. Opinion: A Cooperative Coalition (111) by Sara Scarlett 2. Lib Dem MPs: what the Legg letters said (10) by Stephen Tall 3. Heath and Burstow table urgent Commons questions about Guardian injunction #Trafigura #CarterRuck (6) by Stephen Tall 4. Tom Watson writes ... on the Royal Mail and postcodes (15) by Tom Watson 5. Opinion: Muslims won't play with the gays! (21) by Andrew Reeves 5 recent Lib Dem tweets >> rachelolgeirsso RT @Wossy: RT @LaScrumbles: Charlie Brooker's GUARDIAN ...
This Saturday the Bracknell Conservative Association is holding an Open Primary. I think now is a good time to remind ourselves why. It's because our current MP, Andrew Mackay, claimed for a second home allowance for mortgage interest payments on a joint flat near Westminster. Meanwhile his wife, Julie Kirkbride, Tory MP for Bromsgrove, has used hers 2nd home allowance to pay off a similar amount on the loan for their family home in her constituency. This meant that they were able to use public funds to pay for both homes as second homes for at least eight years, this ...
I have been in some General election and Scottish election planning meetings all day today so was catching up on Twitter as waiting for the bus home from the city centre and saw that Jan Moir was being attacked for her column today. So, I saw on Caron's blog that as usual homophobia was alive and well in the Daily Mail in the form of a column by Jan Moir and that during the course of the day online advertising had been removed from the site, such is the power of the internet these days. Anyway, unlike a lot of ...
I'm particularly interested in the Jan Moir and Trafigura stories this week - because they nicely illustrate that you don't need vast numbers of people to make a big difference.My rough estimate is that 30,000 tweets mentioned Trafigura before they backed down. I wasn't watching as closely with Jan Moir - but the Facebook group only has about 3,500 members. My impression is that the rate of tweets was at a similar rate to Trafigura, ie 100 or so a minute from this morning. The key to success I think for the Jan Moir campaign is that it turned people's ...
My initial response of Dave Hodgson's fantastic win in Bedford today was this: I have to say I'm surprised by the lack of media interest in this. Surely a Mayoral by-election is as newsworthy as a Parliamentary by-election? To which 'ollie's' response was: Don't be ridiculous. As Nick Barlow went on to say, more people voted in the Bedford ...
Blimey. I know that there isn't the same appetite for Cameron now as there was for Blair in '97 - but if the Tories can't win an election like this - then they must be really worried. Bedford has elected a new Mayor - Liberal Democrat Dave Hodgson. This is an amazing victory for Dave - and he and the Bedford LibDems have done brilliantly. I mean in this climate - just after the Tory conference - this is stupendous. There hasn't been tons of coverage about this election in the media - but it is an important one. The ...
Congratulations to George Allan and the Clerkenwell Lib Dem team for securing victory in their campaign. They have been asking that the area is recognised as 'saturated' with licensed premises. Clerkenwell ward has 135 licensed premises – that's about one for every 35 households! So no more licenses will now be issued: and existing licensed premises ...
From the Guardian this morning: An article sketched the attributes of Michael Fabricant MP, describing him as a political version of the Hairy Cornflake and "the only pirate radio disc jockey in the Commons" (The DJ and the doughnut, 15 October, page 13).In fact, one of his Conservative colleagues, Roger Gale, MP for North Thanet, was on Radio Caroline in 1964-65.
I'm all dressed up, bowtie, cufflinks, wing collared shirt, dinner jacket, the works ready to head back into Edinburgh to attend the Activity Mix Edinburgh Corporate Decathlon Sports Ball. This year the nice people who ran this actually put I sport into the mix I actually have rather a lot of trophies and medals in, and can still compete. So here's a picture of me in action at Dean Bowling Club in July when we got through to the 3rd/4th play off. We only missed out on third spot when my last two bowls were just wide and tight of ...
Congratulations to Dave Hodgson, announced today as the Lib Dem victor in the mayoral by-election in Bedford. The fact I have known Dave as far back as the mid 1980s does not appear to have damaged his political career!I still have memories of going to Dave's parents' house in 1984 in Bedford for a party back in our Young Social Democrat days, which really does mean it was a long time ago! As for
Many congratulations to Dave Hodgson for a stonking result in Bedford. I know Dave from my days as a membership secretary. He is a very solid, affable and, above all, hard working fellow. He'll make an excellent Mayor of Bedford.
Cross-posted from the Mandate blog: Transport for London (TfL) has been suffering a wave of negative online publicity about the behaviour of a member of staff at Holborn Tube station. The incident was caught on camera, uploaded to YouTube and stories of the clip have spread online. Although the clip itself has been seen so far by only a fairly modest number of people (328 views at time of writing), the audience for the story is significantly larger as online references will have been read by people who do not go on to view the clip. In particular, people viewing ...
No doubt solely because of my visit there last week, the people of Bedford have elected Dave Hodgson as their Mayor. Congratulations to Dave and his team, and thanks to anyone who went to Bedford to help out, especially if you went as a result of my plea last week. As with all by-elections, I'm sure ...
Given the lukewarm attitude of many Liberal Democrat councillors towards the still rather new system of directly-elected mayors, there's a delightful irony in the fact that Dave Hodgson has just won the Bedford mayoralty for the party in a by-election caused by the death of the independent incumbent, the journalist and publisher Frank Branston. The Conservative ...
As the latest meeting of the West End Christmas Week committee took place at Dundee West Church today, we had the opportunity to have our lunch, courtesy of the Dundee West Church Healthy Cooking Co-operative. Back in 2006, the Scottish Countryside Alliance Educational Trust, who assisted the project in its early days, said, "Through the amazing work of its volunteers, the Co-operative has surpassed all expectations, attracting approximately 80 people per week, from students to pensioners, all looking for that common denominator - a nutritious and economical lunch, and access to fresh local produce." I'm pleased to say that lunch ...
Local councillor and campaigner Dave Hodgson takes victory in the Mayoral elections. Full time councillor and campaigner, Dave Hodgson has stormed to victory in the Mayoral elections that took place on 15 October in Bedford. Results were announced on today as follows: Liberal Democrats - 13,352 Conservatives - 11,543. Labour were eliminated in the first round of voting where they came fifth, despite having the current MP for the town. Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, has expressed his congratulations saying: "This is a sensational victory for Dave Hodgson and I congratulate him and the Bedford Liberal Democrats for ...
Fri 16th
16:14
A bit early for David Cameron to be measuring up the curtains for 10 Downing Street, says Nick Clegg
Here's Nick Clegg's comments about Dave Hodgson's superb victory in Bedford Mayoral Election, announced this afternoon. The Tories have been acting like a general election victory for them is certain but the LibDem victory in Bedford shows that the reality on the ground is rather different. If the Tories can't win in places like Bedford in the south of England, they cannot achieve a Commons majority.
If you travelled along Wilmslow Road or Cheadle Road in Cheadle this afternoon and wondered what all the commotion in Park Lodge Close was about...they're filming a commercial for a company called Cottages For You (or, more likely, Cottages4You or Cottages4U - I haven't checked).
Like Andrew and Stephen, I was really saddened to waken last Sunday morning to discover that Boyzone singer Stephen Gateley had died suddenly on holiday in Mallorca at the agonisingly young age of 33. At 26, I may have been much older than their target market when they appeared on the scene in 1993. However, and much to my husband's eternal shame, I just love that sort of trashy, cheesy boyband pop. I bought their stuff - I still listen to No Matter What and Love me for a Reason and I actually preferred Boyzone to Take That. Stephen, with ...
[IMG: Dave Hodgson's calling leaflet in Bedford] In the one directly elected mayoral by-election held on 15th October we took the post from an Independent. There were twelve principal council by-elections, the Tories held eight seats, Labour one seat and the Liberal Democrats one seat. The Lib Dems took one seat off Labour but this was reversed with Labour taking one seat from the Lib Dems. There were two Parish and Town council election results reported to ALDC an Independent hold and a Lib Dem gain from Independent. The mayoral campaign was gripping everyone in the ALDC as news seeped ...
A brilliant result for my good friend Dave Hodgson in the Bedford Mayoral election. Dave is a great guy and has worked solidly hard over the years both for his Bedford constituents and the party. He joins another good friend of mine, and very fine Mayor of Watford, Dorothy Thornhill, in that very exclusice club of Lib Dem Mayors.
Result just in ... First preferences: Lib Dem 9428 Con 9105 Indy 7631 Indy 4316 Lab 3482 Green 1183 After second preferences: Lib Dem 13352 Conservative 11543 Turnout: 30% Many congratulations to Dave Hodgson and his team on a fantastic victory! Update: Nick Clegg has issued his congratulations ... This is a sensational victory for Dave Hodgson and I congratulate him and the Bedford Liberal Democrats for an outstanding campaign. By electing Dave Hodgson as Mayor the people of Bedford have put their trust in the Liberal Democrats to work hard on their behalf. "The fact that the Tories are ...
The Liberal Democrats have won the Bedford Mayoral elections and a number of things need to be said. Firstly, congratulations to Dave Hodgson and those who assisted his campaign; secondly, it has to be questioned whether this will be the end of specifically the Conservative's infatuation with 'open primaries'. By all accounts the Conservative candidate was a disaster and ...
Barnsley MBC, St. Helen'sLab 1520 (59.8; +2.2)BNP 590 (23.2; +6.6)Barnsley Independent Group 171 (6.7; -11.9)UKIP 94 (3.7; +3.7)Con 89 (3.5; -3.6)LD Eddie Gouthwaite 78 (3.1; +3.1)Majority 930Turnout 31%Lab holdPercentage change is since May 2007.Basingstoke and Deane BC, ChinehamCon 898 (63.0; +19.1)LD Liam Anthony Elvish 249 (17.5; +7.7)Ind 163 / 18 (12.7; -28.2)Lab 98 (6.9; +1.4)Majority
Modern technology is a marvellous thing. In my case Sky+ allowed me to pause Question Time last night because a friend of mine, who is less enthusiastic about politics, called me. As such, having my pause button, I stopped it about ten minutes from the end, knowing I wanted to watch This Week, and chatted for ...
Yesterday saw voting in Bedford for the new elected mayor, with the Lib Dems' Dave Hodgson the bookies' favourite. Counting started this morning, and we'll be reporting the result as soon as we receive it. Alternatively, you can do what we're doing and follow the Twitter stream ... The good news so far is that Dave was ahead on first preferences, with Labour trailing badly in fifth place, and the Greens losing their deposit. However, as no candidate gained more than 50% of the votes cast, second preferences of the losing candidates are now being counted – so we have ...
Now that the ban to allow Geert Wilders into the UK has been overturned, this Dutch MP who is awaiting trial in Holland for inciting hatred, declared his visit a "victory for freedom of speech" This from the man who has called for the Koran to be banned. I was surprised to hear the UKIPs Lord Pearson, who invited him last February, explain on the radio this morning that this was about "freedom of speech," and he was "looking forward to having a debate about Islam with Geert Wilders!" He went on to warn of the "dangers of Islam and ...
Very useful conversation this morning with the Valuation Office Agency about what to do if you think your house is in the wrong Council Tax band. Until now I've been quite confused because I've been told that you can only appeal against your valuation within 6 months - but have then heard of other people who have managed to get re-banded. So, this is how it works: * key point to remember is that Council Tax banding is based on the value of your property in April 1991; although the sale price since then is relevant evidence, the key question ...
The first Lib Dem Bloggers' Unconference will be held in Edinburgh: shaped by the participants, centred around one theme (the clue is in the title) and depending on YOU for its success. No podiums nor preaching - it's a practical, sociable day. MPs Jo Swinson and John Barrett will be there, plus Lib Dem blogfather Jonathan Calder and members of the Lib Dem Voice team (including moi!) Note this: Venue: Edinburgh - Scottish Lib Dem HQ, 4 Clifton Terrace EH12 5DR. Map here. Date: Saturday 21 November 2009 Time: 10am-4pm Facilities: Wireless network will be available, meeting room and (tbc) ...
Southport-born Den Dover, Conservative Euro-MP for the North West until last year, racked up over £780,000 using a family firm to siphon of cash which he used to pay for cars, family home etc. He was exposed by local Lib Dem MEP Chris Davies who 'blew the whistle' on an official report which many wanted to keep secret, which showed the massive extent of expenses fraud by some members of the European Parliament. At the head of the list were North West Conservatives Den Dover and David Sumberg, both of whom pocketed monstrous amounts of expenses while living away from ...
[IMG: Lynne Featherstone at Crouch End Clock Tower] Walking over the hill and round the corner from my home in to Crouch End, one of the architectural delights of Crouch End appears in the distance - the Clock Tower. Stood at the foot of the Clock Tower you can enjoy not just the surviving architecture of many buildings in the area, you can see the site of the path-breaking test zerba crossing (outside what is now the bookshop) and, er..., the weird density of supermarkets with three nearly back-to-back running up the Broadway and a fourth just round the corner. ...
Jan Moir's nasty article in the Daily Mail today about Stephen Gately's death has put her close to the top of Twitter, with around 100 Tweets a minute currently.People are being redirected to the Press Complaints Commission to make complaints - it will be interesting to see the rate at which Tweets translate into complaints. Interesting that some people are posting her article as a Google Doc so that the Mail doesn't benefit from the traffic.http://twitter.com/#search?q=%22Jan%20Moir%22 Thanks to my colleague Sarah for pointing this out. Posted via email from Rob's posterous
Channel 4 News' fact-checking department did a piece yesterday which analyses my safe seats and expenses scandal correlation work from back in May. It has been prompted by an article that Nick Clegg wrote in The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday about expenses where in the final paragraph he says: And of course, if we're to sort out politics fully, we need to think about the future, not just the past. Britain needs voting reform to abolish the safe seats that make MPs complacent - those in safe seats were three times as likely to be identified as having abused their ...
A new analysis of how many graduates there are living in each Westmister Parliamentary constituency shows that five of the seven seats with the highest proportion of graduates amongst their working age population have Liberal Democrat MPs. The figures, from the University and College Union, show that overall 29% of the working population have degrees with Susan Kramer's Richmond Park constituency topping the list at 63.61%. The top ten seats, in order, are: 1 London Richmond Park 74,200 63.61% Ms Susan Kramer Lib Dem 2 South West Bristol West 83,700 62.49% Mr Stephen Williams Lib Dem 3 London Kensington and ...
Carers Partnership Board The main topics for discussion at this meeting were a review of Carers Funding; the Carers Strategy and the impact of the recession on vulnerable adults and their carers. Carers Funding Members of the Board including myself had formed a working group to review the current spending in more detail than a board meeting allowed. ...
Regional conference in Gateshead tomorrow and the guest speaker is Vince Cable. The conference has already had record advance bookings. I will be there to do the photos and report on proceedings by video. Watch this space!It is also an excuse to post up this photo:It was taken at Bournemouth conference on my camera at the end of the photo op for campaigners with Vince Cable. I think it is only
I doubt if the conference season has changed the political landscape. The Liberal Democrats were ill-disciplined; Labour was defiant in face of expectations of defeat; and the Conservatives were trying not to be overconfident — with only partial success. Peter Riddell, The Times, 9 October 2009 It is easier to write from a position of ignorance rather than knowledge. Unlike Riddell this was the first time I have been to a party conference but that may leave the view clearer. The general opinion is that Lib Dems and Tories missed a chance and Labour avoided disaster by ignoring reality. The ...
Well it did 175 years ago today. This must be what many British voters wish would happen again this year based on the present situation and standing of the political class. Guido Fawkes may think the main Parliamentary event was in 1605, but actually it was in 1834. One of the key lessons that politicians must learn ...
Pam and I have been working with Council officers to get some of the blocked grids and gullies sorted out. We've confirmed that work is now scheduled to fix the flooding problems outside the Gatley Green Co-op and at the corner of Kingsway and Gatley Road (on the Cheadle side). In the next few days I'll be compiling a list of the blocked grids I've come across and going through them one-by-one to get the problem sorted. And something that interested me: apparently quite a number of blocked drains happen when one of the utility companies puts a pipe right ...
[IMG: longfield-suite-1.jpg] Following last nights Public meeting organised by local Lib Dems following concerns about the future of the Longfield Suite, Bury Councils Executive Committee has agreed to a special meeting in Prestwich. At last nights well attended meeting residents called for the Council leadership to come to Prestwich and face the public over their plans to alter facilities at the Longfield Suite. Vic D'Albert chaired the meeting and welcoming members of the public he told the meeting, "Coming only a couple of months after this Council adopted the Love Prestwich Strategy document, following the biggest ever public consultation in ...
This week the European Parliament's political groups met to discuss the agenda for next week's formal debates and votes in Strasbourg. There were also a few committee meetings. My colleague Fiona Hall MEP, one of the busiest bees in the Brussels hive, was involved in a 'conciliation' meeting, when MEPs and national government representatives meet informally to thrash out agreement on disputed issues of legislation - in this case on environmental matters. In these fora, individual MEPs can exercise considerable power. Having chosen to sit on the foreign affairs committee I have little involvement in the nuts and bolts of ...
The Government publishes the national provisional figures for GCSE attainment today, with the usual self-congratulatory remarks about the numbers getting 5 A*-C including English and Maths. Normally this is followed at short order by a similar piece of self back-slapping from the Labour administration in Reading, saying how we well we are doing against these national trends. I'm not one of those people who believe GCSEs have become easier, and am pleased that so many students do well. Still, the situation in Reading is rather more complex than the Council might reveal. We are a comparatively small education authority with ...
To be a fair, a former Labour minister, ex-SDP leader and Tory voter is probably the natural person to advocate a national unity government – and that's exactly what David Owen has done today in an article in The Times: Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, and his deputy, Vince Cable, need to position themselves as ready to shoulder the burden of responsibility for hard economic choices, and help to provide, with one of the big parties, the principled, practical government that the country so sorely needs. That means talking to voters about participating in a government of national unity. ...
Once again, the Government has attempted to address one of the big issues of the modern world and got it totally wrong. The debate on 'file sharing', which is often used as a short hand term for the i...
Lord Ashdown quickly told us to call him Paddy. Not only that but he genuinely wanted to know our views at an evening meal local Lib Dems shared with him after his gig at the Ilkley Literature Festival. He then gave us a very interesting run down of his views on the present state of British politics, including his high opinion of Nick Clegg. Paddy also said that the Lib Dem balance between the rights of the individual and the good of the community makes us the best political party in Britain by far, and that's what we need to ...
Here's a link to a video of Nader Fekri saying that Jacob Bronowski is his greatest inspiration. Nader ...
One of three meetings last night was the second planning meeting for the Big Green Festival. There is a real strong hardcore membership, but they are always looking for more help. There is a link on the left to follow for more info. Basics - The Thursday (25th March) will host the discussions & speeches. There will be some light stuff to break up any jargon heavy speeches and make it a fun night for all. The main day will be Sat 27th March. I have less details there, but it will not be a massive departure from last year. ...
Over on the Institute of Welsh Affairs blog the organisation's Deputy Director argues that the 5 per cent cuts to higher and further education institutions contained in the Welsh Government's draft budget are shortsighted. She points out that apparently they are not cuts but 'efficiency savings': 'Other departments are looking to make 'efficiency savings' of around 1.6 per cent so I am left wondering why higher and further education institutions are able to make further savings, especially when university settlements in recent years have also entailed cutbacks.' She continues: The Assembly's Enterprise and Learning Committee's report into the Economic Contribution ...
If we've learned anything from Cardiff's successful hosting earlier in the year of the first test match in the 2009 Ashes series, it's that a little determination and ambition can pay huge dividends. At the 2004 local elections in Cardiff, the Liberal Democrats put forward a manifesto commitment to assist Glamorgan County Cricket Club in its bid to host test match cricket at Sophia Gardens. And in Glamorgan County Cricket Club, under the chairmanship of Paul Russell, we found ourselves with a willing and eager partner whose ambition we could share. A £4.5 million loan from Cardiff Council to the ...
Both Amazon and Google have unveiled major developments in their plans to dominate the future of e-books. These moves will not only see the two internet giants compete head-to-head but will also see the traditional book publishing industry and authors face the dilemma of whether to see these developments as a welcome new outlet for their business or a threat to their existence. [IMG: Books on a shelf] Amazon has announced that its Kindle e-book is going on sale in the UK and other countries , initially by shipping from the US but with a free global wireless service for ...
This morning's Western Mail again publishes some inter-camp grumblings from the Welsh Labour leadership contest. This time 'party sources' are quoted as criticising Huw Lewis for skipping an Assembly plenary session on Wednesday afternoon. Huw rightly points out that in fact he had arranged to 'pair' with Kirsty Williams so as not to affect the outcome of any votes, a common practice in any legislature. As the Welsh Liberal Democrat whip I can confirm that this is in fact what happened. As a group we do not normally pair because we are too small to sustain too many absenses at ...
The church sits in the centre of the old town. It fills a square with, for company, a 17th-century grammar school, a Victorian factory and the town's main shopping street. This church is not aloof from its surroundings, behind a churchyard or close, but is a gregarious member of the club - Simon Jenkins.
Myrtle Cottage LymeswoldWiltshire Sir On 11 October I heard someone promoting a friend's chances in next year's Lib Dem Blog of the Year Award. Is this a record? Your etc. Sir Herbert Gussett
Over on Wales Home, the Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Economy and Transport, Jenny Randerson has an article arguing for the setting up of a Welsh stock Exchange: Everyone knows and understands the London Stock Exchange, but this is only really open to a tiny minority of businesses. Underneath that, there are limited options for smaller firms. The Alternative Investment Market (AIM), for example, still requires considerable expense for listing and has been characterised by businesses which made the leap to public listing too soon and have struggled to raise further capital due to the limited number of shares ...
Is Den Dover the Southport's Tory MEP- until earlier this year -the template for Wilshire activities? Dover paid hundreds of thousands of pounds of his parliamentary expenses into his company. You will recall £500k was asked back by the European Parliament. He hasn't paid it. It sounds like the same rouse as Wilshire? They've both agreed not to stand again -but will they pay the money back? If you don't know about Den Dover listen to Chris Davis:
One of the most basic things you can do online is to send out briefing and comment on a news announcement. Boris Johnson's announcement of a fare increase yesterday produced the following reactions: · 1.57pm Lib Dem press release response - scrappy and untidy but fast and with lots of detailed briefing on the back of it. Useful if I was a journalist needing a quick comment or anyone trying to get to grips with the detail. · 3.53pm I get Progressive London's (ie Ken Livingstone) response - a well formatted but wordy explanation of everything that's wrong with Boris. ...
Amusing finding from PR Week survey putting 2 answers together: 1% of agencies got digital dept, but not got anyone in charge of it # Dear Nobel Peace Prize Committee, I've not started any wars or been rude to any foreigners this year. Can I have a prize please? # @alexfoster Your comment is now rescued from the spam pile of death on the Mandate website. That's a bug sorted [IMG: :)] # Royal Mail + postcode data: Lab MP Tom Watson guest posts on Lib Dem Voice: http://bit.ly/3NEUK8 # Two more emails to go until zero inbox... # Best ...
Just to let those of you in Colchester know, the next meeting of the Castle Neighbourhood Action Panel will be on Friday 23rd October, starting at 9.30am in the North Committee Room of the Town Hall. Any residents can come along and raise issues that they want the NAP to deal with, or if you can't ...
2 Big Stories Wilshire to stand down amid expenses allegations A Conservative MP accused of paying more than £100,000 of public money into his own company announced last night that he would stand down at the general election. David Wilshire called the allegations "deeply hurtful and unjustified" and predicted he would be cleared by the Commons standards watchdog. But in a brief statement, he said he had reluctantly decided it would not be "sensible" to seek re-election as the MP for Spelthorne. (Independent) BNP bows to pressure to admit non-white people The far-right British National party has agreed to change ...
Three, yes three, firstly why have the people of Glasgow North East now been without an MP for 117 days, they could have called the by-election before the summer recess when Michael Martin stood down so; Gaffe one - not calling the by-election when Michael Martin resigned. Gaffe two - candidate Willie Bain not signing his "contract" with the people (as of this morning it still isn't signed). Gaffe three - phoning Lib Dem voters to tell them the writ is being moved today (Friday), wait for it........who live in Dunfermline. Last night telephones in Dunfermline were being called by ...
Whilst the rest of the Welsh media are keen to find out more about the three potential First Ministers, the Western Mail is concentrating on stirring things up a bit. I am a bit behind with my reading due to having spent so much of this week 'on the road' but note that Thursday's edition of the paper is saying that Unite, the biggest union in Wales has been accused of "jumping the gun outrageously" in its support for Welsh Labour leadership candidate Edwina Hart: On Saturday, Health Minister Mrs Hart and her rivals Carwyn Jones and Huw Lewis are ...
The UN is on the point of getting tough on Israel over the Gaza offensive against Hamas earlier in the year, but Israel are threatening to pull out of the Middle East peace plan as a result. The UN Human Rights Council are on the point of endorsing a report which condemns Israel of war crimes over its Palestinian neighbours in Gaza in January. The vote on the Goldstone Report is to take place in Geneva today, condemns both Hamas and Israel but the latter most for targeting civilians in the conflict in which 1000 Palestinians died compared to 13 ...
Just read the pre-pub for the Cambridge Primary Review, looking at primary education in England, thus far fascinating and something that I concur ...
Why did no-one tell me that Helo is in Dollhouse? Because, you know, HELO! I'm going to have to frigging watch it now...
This evening there is a story in Bedford's local paper telling the sorry tale that the Tories predict defeat in the Mayoral tomorrow. Earlier this evening, a source "close to the party" called to tell me the same - even before the polls closed the Tories were off to console themselves with Pizza. Last week at Tory Party conference, any local activist I bumped into was far from buoyant about the prospect of a Tory mayor - despite the huge effort central office has clearly put in to support his campaign. I understand (though this will have to be confirmed) ...
Results of the Hanworth and Birch Hill Borough Councillor By-election are; Mark Phillips of the Conservatives 640 42.41% Janet Keene of the Labour Party 377 24.98% Larraine de Laune of the Liberal Democrats 206 13.65% Jeff Newbold of the of the UK Independence Party 139 9.21% Steven Martin Gabb of the Green Party 77 5.10% David Anthony Penson of the British National Party 70 4.64% Total Votes 1509 which is a turn out of 23.4% Results of the Town Councillor are; Mark Phillips of the Conservatives 421 48.17% Janet Keene of the Labour Party 259 29.63% Larraine de Laune of ...
I was going to write about my road in Morecambe and cars breaking the speed limit, but I have just seen the 6pm news (15th October) on the BBC. The BNP has been told to open its doors to non-whites and Chris Roberts, a spokesperson for the party was interviewed. He said "the fundamental beliefs of our party and our core beliefs will never change", to which the reporter asked "will it remain a racist party?" There was then a very strange reply. "If you can explain to me what racist means then I'll tell you if we are". I ...
